


Basking In All The Fur

by alisayamin (sh_04e)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Based on a Tumblr Post, Bonding, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gen, Jealousy, Lance is a painter guys, Lance is not amused, Living Together, M/M, No Angst, Ocean, Painting, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Skype calls, TV News, Team as Family, Walks On The Beach, it's a puppy lance, keith is a traffic news reporter, keith saves a wolf from drowning, take a chill pill, this fic is very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-30 15:12:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15099386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sh_04e/pseuds/alisayamin
Summary: That was when the doorbell rang. Lance almost tripped on the way towards the main entrance. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it.And there was Keith, still looking a little soaked with a freaking wolf bundled up in a mint-coloured fleece blanket in his arms. Only the wolf’s tail and head were visible.Lance looked at Keith. Then he looked at the wolf. And then back to Keith with a stern, “NO.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GabyElle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GabyElle/gifts).



> HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY GABY!!!! I'm sorry I'm wishing you so late but so much happened that I didn't have time to finish this completely (I'll post the second half reeeeeeeaaaaaallly soon ok)
> 
> This is my first time writing for this pairing so I hope it's okay? [And this is the headcanon for Keith as a traffic division news reporter by hufflepirate on Tumblr](http://hufflepirate.tumblr.com/post/171347151929/voltron-morning-news)

 

Lance was not sulking.

He was just… pouting angrily at the television from where he sat on the sofa. Why? Because movie nights were special nights. It was the only night within a week where both him and Keith would take time off to spend it together, watching reruns of their favourite movies or series.

So yeah, Lance was totally  _not sulking_  because it was already 9pm and Keith was still not home yet. Okay yeah, he gets it. His boyfriend works for the local news in the traffic division and sometimes, Keith is literally on the streets or in the air  _above_  the streets, reporting from the news helicopter about the congestion. Still, no matter how busy Keith was, he’d always text Lance if they needed to take a rain check for their dates or movie nights.

Lance sighed heavily and slumped back against the sofa, clicking the channels absentmindedly. He stopped at the news channel again just for the heck of it. Keith’s segment already aired earlier; it was another traffic report from the helicopter after a trailer skidded and fell on its side - blocking all the roads on the main highway and causing a disastrous standstill.

The current news anchor on the screen was just wrapping up when she said,  ** _“And finally, we received recent footage of one our traffic reporters this evening as he jumped out of the helicopter to save a drowning dog in the river downtown.”_**

Lance’s eyes widened and he hunched forward thinking,  _‘Please don’t let it be Keith.’_

**_“Rest assured, both him and the dog are safe and sound. Goodnight everyone, and stay safe.”_ **

The footage rolled along with the news channel’s theme song but the original audio could still be heard.

**_“There’s a dog drowning in the river. See that?”_ **

Lance was already groaning into the palm of his hands because-

 ** _“Keith, no. You can’t-“_**  That was probably the cameraman.

 ** _“I gotta.”_**  Keith finally came into view, rushing to take off his coat and shoving it away,  ** _“I’ll get home myself don’t worry.”_**

**_“That’s not the point-“_ **

**_“Thanks for the ride.”_ **

Lance’s mouth hung open as he watched Keith jump out of the moving helicopter like some action movie stuntman. The footage continued from the cameraman’s view, showing Keith swimming towards the dog.

That was when the doorbell rang. Lance almost tripped on the way towards the main entrance. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it.

And there was Keith, still looking a little soaked with a freaking wolf bundled up in a mint-coloured fleece blanket in his arms. Only the wolf’s tail and head were visible.

Lance looked at Keith. Then he looked at the wolf. And then back to Keith with a stern, “NO.”

 

* * *

 

Lance was just researching the wolf’s possible breed when Keith came out of the bathroom having just finished soaking in the bathtub  _with the wolf_ (maybe not together in the tub but the wolf followed wherever Keith went). Keith walked towards the bed but ended up sitting on the carpeted floor instead, leaning his back against the bed. The wolf ambled just a few steps behind Keith and when Keith was on the ground, the wolf opted to sit as well with its head lying on Keith's lap.

Lance sat up, scooted over to the edge of the bed and caged Keith’s frame with his legs. He began to grumpily towel dry Keith’s hair, “That thing could have fleas, y'know.”

Keith was scratching the fur between the wolf’s ears mindlessly, “Mm.”

“And it’s gonna pee and poop everywhere!” Lance seethed as he reached out to plug the hair dryer to the outlet near the side table.

“Uh-huh.”

“Are you even listening to me? We are  _not_  keeping it!”

That made Keith lift his head back to stare up at Lance’s angry face which was upside down. And Lance… he knew he was being manipulated. Keith didn’t always use the power of his expressive eyes and it was so uncharacteristic of him, Lance still had a hard time believing Keith could even pull it off. The longer Keith’s heart-wrenching eyes stared at Lance, the quicker Lance felt his resolve melt away.

Eventually, Lance sighed exasperatedly, “Urgh, alright! Fine, we can keep it.”

Keith subtly cuddled his cheek against Lance’s thigh in a silent ‘thank you’ as he continued stroking the wolf’s head.

As Lance was blow-drying Keith’s hair, his laptop began to ring from an incoming Skype call.

“Oh great! Let’s see what  _they_  have to say, huh?” He turned off the hair dryer and exchanged it for the hair brush on the bedside drawer before actually answering the call. Lance angled the laptop and lifted up his leg that was blocking Keith’s head so that the camera caught both of them.

 ** _“AYYYYYYY”_**  Pidge called out.

Hunk excitedly exclaimed,  ** _“Keith, you were on the news!”_**

Keith angled his head to the side and frowned up at the laptop on the bed, “Hunk. I’m always on the news.”

**_“Yeah but you were IN it, not REPORTING it, get it?”_ **

Lance snorted but said nothing as he brushed Keith’s hair.

 ** _“So, where’s the dog?”_**  Shiro asked teasingly.

As if it knew it was being addressed, the wolf got up from the floor and gave a hearty bark. The response was instantaneous.

**_“Is that even a dog..?”_ **

**_“Oh my god. Is that a freaking wolf?”_ **

**_“Holy shit, Keith! That’s so cool, man!”_ **

That comment made Lance point the hairbrush towards the laptop with a menacing glare, “ _Don’t_  encourage him.”

**_“Aww Lance. Can’t even take some dog fur on your sofa and bed?”_ **

Lance actually sputtered, “ _Bed?!_  No! The wolf is  _not_  sleeping on our bed!”

Pidge cackled,  ** _“Keep on telling yourself that buddy.”_**

After a little bit of grumbling, Lance settled back to brushing Keith’s hair. Keith started telling the others (and Lance) about his day and they all exchanged stories. The group skype video call was usually planned. But sometimes it was random and it didn’t matter how many joined in. As long as you’re free, you pick up the call. The video calls made up for the frequent dinners and sleepovers they used to have back when they were all on the same campus.

The chats went on and Lance put in his own two cents, laughing and joking intermittently. After some time, Keith started to doze against Lance’s other thigh.

Lance looked down when he felt Keith lean on his leg. He put down the hair brush and watched Keith breathe evenly. He was really out. Lance glanced up at the wall clock. It was nearing 11pm and Keith  _did_ swim across a river in most of his clothes to save the mutt. And then he probably carried it out and sent it for a checkup at the vet before coming home. He must’ve held back how tired he actually was.

“Guys…” Lance started to say as he turned to the laptop with a guilty look on his face.

Shiro smiled at him and cut him off,  ** _“Keith’s already asleep, isn’t he?”_**

“Yeah… Hey wait a second.” Lance narrowed his eyes at the three of them, “You guys said you were too busy for a call tonight! So that means…” He raised a knowing eyebrow, “Does Allura have anything to do with tonight’s call?”

 ** _“She told us to check up on him.”_** Pidge shrugged. Then she squinted as though she could tell through the screen, “ ** _He_  is _fine, right?”_**

Lance casually slid his palm to rest briefly on Keith’s forehead, “No fever.”

 ** _“Good cuz that river is freezing this time around.”_**  Shiro nodded sagely.

“I don’t even want to know  _why_ you know what the river is like this time around. Anyway, I gotta get him on the bed and you can tell Allura that her best traffic reporter will still be in tomorrow.”

 ** _“Imma still bake you guys some wolf-themed cookies! I’ll drop by tomorrow before the bake-off.”_ ** Hunk gave a thumbs up.

“Thanks buddy.” Lance smiled, “G’night guys.”

**_“Night-night!”_ **

**_“Goodnight, you two.”_ **

**_“Have fun with the fur-cleaning on your bed tomorrow!”_ **

“For the last time Pidge, the wolf is _not_  sleeping on the bed!”

The wolf slept on the bed that night. And for many nights to come.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much Klance here but I promise there'll be some in the final chapter (Yes I know I said only two chapters but frick I can't help it)

 

Lance felt someone shaking him awake, “-ance.. Lance..!”

He grumbled incoherently but cracked his eyes open wide enough to see Keith’s face hovering above him, “Mmhgh?”

“I gotta go to work. Breakfast’s on the counter and I set up the food bowl already. We’ll do movie night tonight, okay?”

Lance blinked blearily at Keith with a loopy smile, “..mmkay…” before dropping his head back on his pillow.

He heard Keith chuckle softly before a soft pair of lips pecked his cheek, “Try and behave with the wolf while I’m gone.”

And with that, Keith disappeared through the door. Lance heard the pitter patter of Keith’s work shoes and eventually the distant revving sound of Keith’s motorbike. Lance snuggled back into his pillow and slowly started to wake up. In his head was _‘Did Keith say food bowl…? Wait.. BEHAVE WITH THE WOLF-‘_

Lance suddenly shot up from bed and was greeted by the wolf from his bed side, causing him to shout in shock, “OH MY GOD!”

The wolf tilted its head in confusion.

“Bad dog! You _do not_ just- just-…! Stand there! Not even a day and you’re already giving me a heart attack.”

When the wolf still did nothing, Lance sighed. He got up from the bed and started to yawn and stretch while he walked to the kitchen. The wolf followed after him and brushed its tail against Lance’s legs every once in a while.

As Keith said, breakfast was already on the counter. Lance lifted the food cover to see scrambled eggs, some bacon and grilled cheese. He covered the food again and walked around the counter where he suspected the food bowl was. Lance squatted to observe the food bowl (which ironically had raised letters that spelled ‘WOLF’) that had a few pieces of bacon left. There was also a water bowl next to it.

Lance looked at the wolf that was sitting beside him, “Welp, at least you know he loves you. Keith doesn’t cook bacon just for anyone okay?”

The wolf huffed as though it understood.

“Yeah.” Lance looked up to the fridge and saw a new doodle and a list tacked on it with a magnet, “Let’s see what else he’s done for you.”

The doodle was a cartoonish rendition of the wolf and there were a few squiggly lines exiting the stomach. The list was a food list followed by a ‘tick’ or a ‘cross’ after each food name. Lance figured it was a ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ list for what the wolf could and couldn’t eat.

“Yup. He _really_ loves you.”

 

* * *

 

About an hour later, Hunk and Pidge arrived and let themselves in using their own spare key to the house.

“I brought cookies~!!” Hunk sing-songed his way to the kitchen.

Both he and Pidge visibly flinched back when they neared the kitchen and the wolf was growling loudly and audibly at them.

Lance just grumbled at it, “Stop that, they’re friends.”

The wolf calmed down somewhat and started eating from its food bowl.

There was a tense awkward silence before Pidge said, “Okay, laptop cams don’t do justice when it comes to size.” She walked around the wolf to join Lance at the counter, “At least the wolf is protective of you.”

Lance was eating with one hand cradling his head, “You have no idea. Keith texted me saying he woke up to the wolf _growling_ at the ocean.”

Hunk placed the Tupperware of cookies on the counter before peering into the food bowl, “Are those apple slices?”

Lance grunted his agreement and went back to eating the last of the scramble eggs and bacon. Turning to Pidge beside him, he asked, “Why’d _you_ come?”

Pidge was already setting up her laptop and some of her weird… electronics on the counter, “Keith lost his keys in the river so I thought of changing your whole home security. How do you feel about handprint recognition?”

“Pidge, we live twenty minutes from the city on a pretty small secluded beach with a creepy jungle trek as the only way to get to our house.” Lance deadpanned.

“Exactly!”

“You know what, I give up, do whatever you want.”

“YES! I can finally test out my prototype. I already have both of your prints anyway.”

Lance opted not to ask about the how's and why's.

Meanwhile, Hunk had rummaged the cabinet for a serving plate and was starting to plate the cookies when he looked at Lance, “Sooooo how’s your gallery pieces coming up?”

Lance groaned out loud and slumped on the counter surface.

“That bad?”

The muffled answer sounded like, “Need a new centerpiece.”

“What?!” Hunk frowned, “I thought you were gonna use the campfire as the centerpiece!”

Lance sighed as he lifted his head, “I _was_ but- Look, I’m a piece short and the campfire is nice and all but it just… doesn’t fit.”

The theme was ‘Diversity’ and Lance had lined up a lot of paintings depicting his friends and their different personalities and hobbies. Pidge with her gadgets, Hunk with his cooking, Allura rocking a suit, Shiro with his prosthetic arm and vehicles. And Keith…

“Why don’t you do one of Keith jumping off a helicopter?” Pidge snickered.

“I did.”

Pidge literally dropped whatever she was holding and gaped at Lance, “When did you- How come I’ve never seen it before?!”

Lance smiled coyly, “See? That’s why you gotta come to my gallery.”

“Tch." She smiled good-naturedly, "Like I’d miss it.”

Hunk slid the plate of cookies towards Pidge and Lance, “Well you got two more weeks to work on it. Aaaaand-“

They all looked to the wolf that was now looking at all of them from the floor.

Lance sighed again, “Exactly. I have a wolf in the house and I have no idea how I’m supposed to go up to the studio without leaving _it_ out here.”

Pidge and Hunk both shrugged, “You could.”

“And let it destroy the house? No way.”

Leaning to the side to get a better look of the wolf, Pidge pursed her lips, “Doesn’t look like it’s going to do much.” She turned back to Lance with a smile, “We can babysit it for a few hours if you want to. I still need to setup your new security and Hunk still has a few more hours before the bake-off.”

Lance looked genuinely surprised, “Really? You guys would do that?”

Hunk clapped Lance on the back, “Yeah man. Go up to the studio.”

 

* * *

 

Thing is, Lance really appreciates his friends but- Painting aimlessly would not get him the centerpiece he wanted. After two hours and four ruined canvases, Lance took off his overalls and went downstairs. He couldn’t hide his disappointment in front of his friends so they just pulled him down onto the sofa and put on an episode of Scrubs.

The wolf anxiously sniffed Lance’s legs and promptly decided to sit on his feet.

Lance was a little weirded out, “Did the wolf do anything while I was upstairs?”

Pidge passed him the bowl of popcorn, “Well it tried really hard to find you I think.”

“Yeah it was just running around the house sniffing everything.” Hunk agreed.

And that sort of melted Lance’s heart a little bit. It also made him feel a little guilty.

After Pidge and Hunk left for the bake-off, Lance put on some shorts, a loose unbuttoned shirt and went out back with the wolf trailing after him. At first the wolf was a little apprehensive of the waves washing over the sand but Lance coaxed it until it was playing along the shoreline. The wolf ran happily across the beach, tongue lolling out its mouth every now and then.

Lance didn’t know how long they were out there on the sand but when the Sun touched the horizon of the sea, they both heard the telltale revving sound of Keith’s motorbike.

Keith probably saw them because he joined them straight after he had parked the bike. The wolf was so excited that it ran towards Keith. Lance watched Keith’s face break into a wide grin as he knelt down and caught the wolf in his arms.

Lance couldn’t hear anything except Keith’s abrupt laugh. Lance couldn’t see anything else other than Keith; with his rumpled suit, dimpled smile and the way his eyes crinkled as he patted and hugged the excited wolf.

Suddenly, Lance’s fingers twitched with a growing need to paint.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And its not just artists ok? Writers get that twitch too when they see/hear something they really really need to write like _now_.
> 
> Just for your info, the land (of the beach and forest) actually belongs to Lance's family, Keith helped with legal issues about the placement of their house and Coran designed and built the whole thing with a garage for Keith's motorbike and a studio on the top floor for Lance. Their backdoor and bedroom is facing the ocean. That's right. Casual morning walks on the beach is their thing (other than that, Keith mostly runs on the sand every morning before work).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the last chapter~ Hope you liked it GabyElle!!!! And to the rest of you, thanks for reading this little thing of mine!

 

Lance called out to Keith, “You could’ve at least taken off the coat y’know?”

Keith walked up towards his boyfriend with the ghost of a smile still on his face. He shrugged with one shoulder, “Maybe.”

Once close enough, they kissed each other chastely on the lips; Lance’s hands resting warmly on Keith’s hips and Keith’s palm gently cupping Lance’s neck. As they leaned on each other, chest to chest, Lance basked in Keith’s rare and private display of affection. Keith wasn’t much of a PDA kind of person but behind closed doors or on their private beach? Keith was a hugger and a cuddler.

With the Sun setting over the ocean, the two leisurely made their way back to the house with the wolf trotting happily after them.

 

* * *

 

“KEEEEEEEIIITTTHHHH” Lance whined out loud.

Keith’s exasperated response could be heard all the way from the bathroom, “Whaaaaaaat??”

“YOUR WOLF IS SITTING ON MY SPOT ON THE COUCH!!!”

“Just pick it up!” was the reply.

Lance _did_ pick it up. Several times in fact. And it _still_ found its way onto his seat of the sofa when Lance went to pick up Hunk’s cookies and the drinks from the kitchen counter. Lance glared at the wolf and the wolf glared right back. That’s how Keith found them after he got dressed. He was carrying a blanket in one arm and the other was on his hip.

“Really guys?” Keith walked around the couch and rolled his eyes at his boyfriend, “You realize it’s just an animal, right Lance?”

“That's not _just_ an animal, Keith, it’s the spawn of the three-headed dog in hell.” Lance grumbled as Keith lifted the wolf and sat on his own spot of the sofa with the wolf happily nestled on Keith’s lap.

Lance grudgingly took back his seat while sending a dirty look at the creature snuggling in his boyfriend’s arms.

“Stop it.” Keith sighed as he cuddled the wolf closer, “Wolf’s not even doing anything to you right now.”

The wolf had the audacity to look smug at Lance without Keith noticing. Lance huffed in annoyance. He picked up a stupid wolf-themed cookie from the plate, bit off the wolf cookie’s head and chewed it with a vengeance.

 

* * *

 

Movie night started with a rerun of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the first Ironman movie. Late into the chilly night, both of them lifted their socked feet onto the couch so that Lance could drape the huge blanket over their bodies. By the third movie, Keith and Lance were leaning on each other with the wolf stretched over both their laps.

As usual, Keith fell asleep first. Lance had discovered back in university that one of Keith’s weaknesses was snuggling in warmth while the surrounding atmosphere was cold, be it from blasting the air conditioner or chilly nights by the sea.

Carefully, Lance started to bundle Keith in their blanket to carry him into their room. Normally, Lance would cuddle with Keith through the night on the sofa but he had something else he had to do. After putting Keith on their bed, Lance made his way to the hidden staircase behind the bookshelf in the living room that would lead to his studio.

However, on the third stair, Lance heard a soft yelp behind him.

He turned to see the wolf standing at the bottom of the staircase, “What?”

The wolf tilted its head at Lance and gave a relentless stare.

Lance groaned, “You’re just like your owner, you know that? Fine, c’mon.”

The wolf quickly paced up the stairs to keep up with Lance. Up in the studio, Lance put on his overalls and started mixing some colours to paint the picture in his head. He glanced once around the room to check on the wolf and was surprised to see it obediently sitting beside the easel Lance had set out earlier. To be honest, Lance didn’t know what to expect when he brought the wolf with him but it surely wasn’t _that_.

“So you’re an ass only when Keith’s involved, huh?”

The wolf tilted its head again. Yeah, Lance was totally not buying the whole innocent look the wolf was doing.

Ignoring the wolf, Lance brought his stool and paint over to the blank canvas on the easel. He sat down, adjusted it till he was comfortable and took a few calming breaths. The studio was quiet and dim as he dipped the brush into the first dollop of paint. With only the moonlight shining through the glass portion of the roof, Lance painted.   

He didn’t stop until he saw Keith’s smile come to life on the canvas.

 

* * *

 

Keith found himself stirring awake earlier than he ought to be. He looked up to the wall clock with tired eyes. The shorter hour hand was pointing at somewhere after 5. Then, Keith heard some water splashes that he was sure didn’t come from the ocean, followed by Lance’s high-pitched scolding voice.

 _‘Definitely not from the ocean’_ Keith smiled to himself.

He reluctantly left his warm blanket cocoon to investigate the early morning ruckus. Keith didn’t have to walk far because the continuous noise was coming from their en suite bathroom. He opened the door and watched the hard time Lance was having trying to give the wolf a bath.

Keith leaned against the frame of the bathroom door with his arms crossed; an amused smile on his face. The wolf was shaking its wet head vigorously in the bathtub, decorating the tiles of the walls with colourful water droplets and causing Lance to have another fit. Keith noticed that the water in the bathtub was murky with what looks to be _paint_.

That genuinely surprised Keith, “You brought it upstairs?”

Lance looked like a deer caught in headlights as his head snapped to where Keith was standing, “Umm.. If I say yes, will you get mad?”

“I’m not the one giving the wolf a bath at fuck o’clock in the morning, Lance.” Keith replied almost fondly.

Sheepishly, Lance hunched, “Sorry ‘bout that. Had to get it in the tub before the paint set. And now I have no idea how to get it dry without wetting the whole house. I used up most of our towels already.”

Keith shrugged like it wasn’t an issue, “We’ll walk him on the beach.”

 

* * *

 

Morning walks on the beach was something Lance didn’t always get to indulge in because he had a hard time waking up at (as Keith said) fuck o’clock in the morning. But when they _do_ go on the morning walks waiting for the Sun to rise, Lance absorbed every moment of it.

Specifically during these walks, unshowered and just-woke-up Keith was a surreal version of Keith. He was relaxed, his hair was messed up and curled in odd places and the corner of his lips tugged to form a soft smile that stayed there the whole morning. If Lance had to describe it in one word, he would say Keith looked ‘fluffy’.

(It was much better than daily morning Keith that communicated exclusively through grunts until 8am or until he gets his first cup of coffee.)

Lance and Keith sat on the white sandy beach and waited for the Sun to cast their shadows. They entwined their fingers lightly and let nature’s sounds engulf them. Meanwhile, the wolf was happily running circles around them and playing with the sea foam. It was definitely a while before they all went back into the house.

 

* * *

 

Upstairs in the studio, a single portrait stood sentry in the middle of the room. Basked in the warm colours of the sunset, it showed Keith kneeling down on soft sand, arms loosely hugging his excited wolf with unadulterated happiness etched in his facial expression.

As the centerpiece of ‘Diversity’, the painting was dedicated to the locals who all knew Keith only as the grumpy traffic reporter. Lance wanted to show them that you don’t always see how diverse someone is. So you shouldn’t take someone’s first few impressions as their last. Because sometimes their smiles and humour only show around the ones they loved.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, the highlights of Lance's 'Diversity' pieces were:
> 
> Pidge - A girl who was good in tech  
> Hunk - A guy who loves to bake cute things  
> Allura - A strong female POC who landed a job that was usually taken by males  
> Shiro - A handicap who didn't let his absent limb dictate his life / job  
> Keith - (Other than the masterpiece) A seemingly cold and distant individual who has a good heart (jumping off helicopter)  
> Campfire - All of them getting together despite their different personality and walks of life
> 
> Other pieces were various other people that Lance had seen / met
> 
> Thanks for reading guys! And you bet your ass that Lance has to roll out clumps of fur from their bed and couch everyday lol


End file.
